National Innovation Challenge (NIC) on Active and Confident Ageing Phase 2: Grant Call on Translation

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Objective

The Grant Call on Translation is the first grant call under the National Innovation Challenge (NIC) on Active and Confident Ageing Phase 2. This grant call, launched under the Healthy and Meaningful Longevity Funding Initiative, aims to support the scale-up of promising research projects in the community that will benefit seniors. The focus is on large-scale test bedding, to:

1. understand application of implementation science approaches (e.g. barriers affecting uptake of the innovation by service providers/seniors, staff training & resourcing required),

2. establish cost-effectiveness, and

3. validate whether the good POC/POV results that have been achieved in earlier phases of research continue to hold when project is scaled. The envisioned outcome is such that at the end of the research grant, researchers will be able to generate sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the solution is effective, cost-efficient, viable, and financially sustainable at scale, and can use their findings to garner support from potential funders to adopt and implement solution more widely (e.g. rolling out as a mainstream service in eldercare settings).

A Lead Principle Investigator (Lead PI) can submit only one application in response to at least one of the focus areas. However, he/she may be part of the Project Team of other applications.

The focus areas are:

1. (Prioritised) Cognition: To implement effective and scalable tools or interventions to detect cognitive decline, preserve cognitive health, or to delay onset of cognitive decline and dementia,

2. Frailty: To implement effective and scalable detection tools to identify pre-frailty and frailty, as well as interventions to reverse/delay frailty and improve health outcome

3. Caregiving: To implement effective and scalable solutions or care models to enhance caregiving support and improve productivity of care, as well as to address the multi-factorial needs of care recipients and caregivers.

This grant call is brought to you by the Ministry of Health of Singapore (MOH) and supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF). For more information of the grant call, please refer to the NIC's website here.

Funding Details

• Funding is capped at $5M (inclusive of 30% indirect costs) for a period of up to 5 years. 
  

• Public institutions/Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) will receive full funding support for approved direct costs. Private entities will receive up to 70% funding support for approved direct costs.

• Actual funding quantum for the research will be determined upon assessment of scope of project.

• Research will be funded for a period of up to 5 years, with the possibility of extension for another 6 months with no additional funding.

• Support for indirect costs, on top of supportable qualifying costs, is 30% of the supportable qualifying direct costs. Only Singapore-registered Institutions that are IHLs or not-for profit entities, including public healthcare providers, may qualify for support for indirect costs.
  

Eligbility Criteria

General Eligibility

• Open to public and private entities and institutes of higher learning (IHLs), registered and/or incorporated in Singapore.

• Host Institutions must be public entities or IHLs.

• Host Institutions are to ensure their private partners are financially capable (i.e. committed to co-fund 30% of the Direct Costs allocated to them) and have the ability to support the translation of innovative solutions for the duration of the project.
  

Project Team Composition

• Interested participants are required to form a Project Team comprising members from multi-disciplinary backgrounds (e.g. pairing medical and technology, engineering) with:

• • At least one healthcare cluster and three community partners in the development and implementation of their project; and

  • At least one technical partner if their cluster and community partner do not have the relevant expertise (e.g., expertise in the technology solution that the team is planning to provide).

• Project Teams shall identify a Host Institution Office of Research (HI ORE). If awarded the Grant, the HI shall receive the Funding on behalf of the Project Team. The HI shall in turn make funding arrangements with the other Partner Institutions.
  

• Each Project Team must appoint a Lead Principal Investigator (Lead PI) to oversee and coordinate the implementation of the Research during the funding period of the Research.

Eligibility Criteria of Lead PI

Applicants applying as Lead PI are required to fulfil the following criteria at the point of application:

1. Holds a primary appointment in a local publicly funded institution and salaried by the institution.

2. Should have PhD or MD/MBBS/BDS qualifications and/or other appropriate Postgraduate Qualification (at least a Master’s Degree) in areas relevant to the proposal research.

3. Is an independent PI with demonstrated track record of research, as evidenced by the award of nationally competitive funding (international funding to be considered on a case-by-case basis), substantial publication record in the past 3 years, or PI status in research institutes.

4. Has a laboratory or research program in Singapore.

5. Holds a minimum of 9 months employment (per calendar year) with local Singapore Institution(s). Upon award, the PI must agree to fulfil at least 6 months of residency in Singapore for each calendar year over the duration of the grant award.

6. Has no outstanding reports from previous BMRC, NMRC grants and other national grants.

7. For proposals involving patients, the PI should be Singapore Medical Council (SMC) registered; or should be able to demonstrate ability to access patients through SMC registered Co-Is or Collaborators.

For detailed participating criteria and instructions, please refer to the file ‘Grant Call on Translation - Public Doc and Appn Guide’ found in the zipped file.

Submission

1. Interested applicants need to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) via the Integrated Grant Management System.

2. Please follow the application guide ‘IGMS User Guide_NIC-Translation' when applying for the grant.

3. The Research Director of Lead PI’s Host Institution is to endorse via IGMS by 11 Aug 2023 (Friday), 5pm. 
   

Note: SingHealth PIs are to please refer to your respective Institutional Research Administrators for guidance on internal deadlines and submission procedures set by your institutions.

Contact Person on Grant Call on Frailty 2022

Email: NIC_Ageing@moh.gov.sg

Contact Person on IGMS

Email: Helpdesk@researchgrant.gov.sg

Contact Person on CorpPass

Host Institution admins (institution research offices)

Additional Information

Please refer to the NIC’s website here or the following attachments within the zipped file for more information.

nic-translation2023_loi_application-guides.zip